This is going to be a bit long so please bear with me, if you are willing to read this thank you.. I am new to this website. I discovered it just now while looking for ways to cope as you can possibly tell by the title. I have been dealing with this for a while now but just now my dad had chest pains at 3am and I went into slight panic. I am not new to caregiving, however I was never entirely alone. My mom and I were the ones who used to always look after my dad who suffers from heart disease and type 2 diabetes. My mom passed away last December and since then it is only me and my dad. I am always in constant worry and anxiety while caring for my dad, worried about his condition. I take care of his medicines and appointments on my own. I have siblings but they are all occupied with their own life and live away from us. I am still a student currently studying in university with no source of income. I have several mental health issues so I am not able to cope with this situation as well as I hope to, which also has made me very socially withdrawn.. but I am hoping I could find someone to talk to on here for the long run.. hopefully a friend, as it could feel very overwhelming sometimes without any support..
You sound so lovely. Your father is certainly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter. He sounds like a loving father.
He is right. Please continue your education.
Keep looking for resources to help.
If you just need to vent. Someone to talk to. Please speak your mind. That is what this forum is about.
Take care.
i have given my dad myonit insta tablet as prescribed by his doctors for whenever he has chest pains or attacks like this.. thankfully it only took one dose and his pain subsided... he was able to calm down (and so did i after a while) and he managed to fall asleep.. i made sure to keep an eye on him to make sure he's alright last night.. thankfully we didnt need to call for help..
we are unable to afford professional caretaking services as of now due to being a bit tight on money.. we are renting a place together so a lot of our expenses go to bills and rent..
i am almost done with my degree so i hope to be able to find a job as soon as possible to help out.. but i also got an offer to continue my masters.. my dad says he wants me to take up the offer.. i am trying to find a scholarship that would fund me as well as plan to work part time..
i did look into some of the caregiver services/social workers.. however there isnt much info in my country.. i did find unicef page for my country though regarding professional caregivers to hire that may lend a hand.. but i still lack a lot of info and resources.. for now it will just be me and my dad..
i was medicated for a short amount of time regarding my mental health but i stopped taking medications and my Dr had suggested therapy but i never got anything from the person i was supposedly referred to and haven't been able to find a place since.. this was quite a while ago.. i might start looking for a good place again, but it is very difficult in my country..
now that my dad is feeling better, i am also less anxious and feel slightly better as well.. we still have a lot of postponed hospital appointments to go to in December..
Again thank you everyone 💙
I am very sorry for your loss of your mom. Families are spread out these days, siblings have other responsibilities or simply not interested in helping the primary caregiver for various reasons of their own.
This leaves the primary caregiver worn out. I understand. Been there, done that.
If ever in doubt when caring for your dad please call 911. You have a huge responsibility caring for him alone.
How far along are you in school? Please finish your education. Your future is important and an education is essential.
Do you have any help at all in caring for your dad? Have you contacted Council on Aging in your area? A social worker to help plan for future care? Have you considered placement in a facility?
You mentioned your mental health issues. Are you being treated at this time? Please don’t neglect your own health. Mental health is equally as important to physical health.
You will find many people on the forum friendly. So please consider us as your online friends that are willing to chat and be as supportive to you during your time of need.
Wishing you and your dad all the best.
It's difficult to feel responsible for another human being, especially a dad who has heart disease and diabetes. If your father has chest pains again, please call 911 right away and don't second guess yourself! Let the EMTs come into your home & evaluate your dad's condition to determine if he should be taken by ambulance to the hospital. Trying to make that decision YOURSELF would be a huge cause of anxiety for anyone, with or without mental health issues.
Does your father have sufficient income to hire a part time care giver to come into the home to help you? If so, that would be ideal........it would take some of the stress off of you, plus it would give you another person to talk to and bounce ideas off of, you know?
Again, welcome to the forum and I sincerely hope you will continue posting here (and commenting on other posts) so you can feel part of this awesome community and a bit less overwhelmed in general.